Escape!

Everybody gets the story arc they deserve.

Kent Duvall, a faded reality show winner, just wants another chance at glory--to find his way out of his depressing life and back to his highlight reel. When a scandal is captured on camera at a charity event, he gets his shot, on a new jungle survival show with seven other contestants. Each of them has been cast as a type--Ruddy the bully, Miriam the nerd, Ashley the love interest--but everyone is more than they appear.

The contestants' goals seem simple--survive the wild, build a raft, win treasure. But Beck Bermann, a reality producer who suffered her own public shaming, sees them as characters in her redemption arc.

As the schemes and strategies spiral out, breakout camps sabotage each other and rival producers struggle to control the storyline. Soon the question becomes less about who will win than who will make it out in one piece.

PRAISE:

‘This is a really fun read.’ Claire Nichols, ABC Radio National, The Book Show

‘Nowhere else have I seen the quasi-religious appeal of reality TV evoked so persuasively and with such compassion. Escape! is a mad romp deserving of close study, shrewd and harrowing and full of heart.’ LA Review of Books

‘Fishbach’s novel stands out because it explores the complicated dynamics of self-narrativizing—and because it’s enriched by the behind-the-scenes details informed by his firsthand experience.’ Atlantic